Existing headwear is available in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes. Despite manufacturers' attempts to make headwear available in all sizes, manufacturers have yet to find a cost effective or practical means for full customization. Therefore, conventional hats are usually available in three to five preset sizes, such as extra-small, small, medium, large or extra-large, with no means for adjustment. Certain baseball caps are available in preset sizes as well, ranging in size from six to eight and increasing in increments of one centimeter. The result is that many wearers are not able find headwear that fit their heads perfectly.
Typically, baseball caps and visors are one-size-fits-all. These baseball caps usually have an opening in the back that can be modified to a number of preset sizes. This modification may be accomplished, for example, by adjusting and snapping together plastic tabs positioned at the rear of the cap. This method may not always provide a comfortable fit for every wearer's head, as some wearers may need to adjust the cap to a size different from the preset sizes.
Alternative modes of adjusting the size of baseball caps utilize a hook and loop fastener (VELCRO), which also has its drawbacks. In particular, similar to plastic tabs, this fastening method also has a predetermined minimum size. Additionally, this type of fastener allows strands of hair to get caught in the small hooks of the fasteners and often times the VELCRO connection breaks from the stress resulting in an unsecured fit on the head. Furthermore, with both the plastic tab fasteners and the hook and loop fasteners, adjustment is performed to the back portion of the cap only. This causes unsightly extra fabric that bunches up in the back of the headwear.
Furthermore, individuals with long hair may wish to contain their tresses in place, especially when participating in sports and other physical activities or in high wind conditions. Typically, these individuals will gather their hair into a bundle at the back of their head to form a ponytail and secure the hair by twisting an elasticized cord around the base of the ponytail. They then have to fit the secured hair into exactly the right space allocated by the hat, and as such the headwear may interfere with the ponytail or vice versa. Typically, a wearer would have to repeatedly modify the position of their ponytail in order to accommodate the position and structure of the headwear. Additionally, this requires the wearer to use an additional device for securing their hair.
In light of the forgoing, it would be desirable to provide adjustable and customizable headwear to meet the needs of any wearer that has an integrated component for securing a wearer's hair.